


False Thoughts

by limeta



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Duelling, F/M, Legilimency, Misdirection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:36:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21907594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/limeta/pseuds/limeta
Summary: Hermione Granger and Tom Riddle spar in a classroom conjured up by the Room of Requirement. Most of Riddle's followers think it's an unfair advantage for Riddle that he can read thoughts while duelling - Hermione thinks it's her advantage.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Tom Riddle
Comments: 25
Kudos: 152





	False Thoughts

Tom Marvolo Riddle had his yew wand pointed at Hermione Granger's neck. A red glint in his eyes shone like flickering candle fire. His face drenched in sweat, beads sliding down, his hair curling and messy. A dazzling smile greeted Hermione and she knew she'd failed her mission. What was worse, much worse, was how his smile turned even more genuine when he'd read her.

The Dark Lord pulled his wand from Hermione Granger's throat and said. ''You love me.'' Such conviction, only someone so sure in their facts had.

Hermione didn't. _Love_. Tom Marvolo Riddle. He fascinated her. She had to kill him, after all. Twice.

Tom Riddle took a step closer, no wand to crucio, to imperious, to kill – just a hand caressing her ashen face. Her worn, stress-wrinkly face that lit up whenever he said something or acknowledged something she'd said. Fingers, that remained clean even after so much potion work, tangled in her hair. The man loved her hair. Had Hermione's hair alone been sent to kill Riddle she's sure it would have succeeded by now.

He snorted at that. ''You still on about this?'' Sometimes, Hermione noticed, his accent faltered when around her, ''You aren't killing me.'' His other hand poked her. ''I am immortal. End of discussion here.''

Hermione snorted at that. Tom cocked his head and waited on her retort. They amused him so.

''Oh, Tom,'' she laughed, ''do you think I've come unprepared?''

''Clearly.'' Tom Riddle, who read people more often than he did textbooks, said. ''I've disarmed you.'' He took out Hermione's wand from his robe and dangled it in front of her face. Hermione glared at him. Tom returned the wand to his pocket. ''Ergo. No wand no death. Unless,'' his face brightened up, his lips parted and the crimson in his eyes burst – sucked in all of the light in this world Hermione occupied now, ''unless,'' He placed a hand over his heart and hissed barely coherent English, ''you wish to seduce me to death, Miss Granger?''

Hermione nudged Tom away and eased up his claustrophobic hold on her. ''Well?''

Hair fell over her eyes and she pushed them aside like two thick curtains. ''I'm honestly flattered you let me have so much power over you, Tom.''

Tom.

She called him Tom because names had power and he hated the name. Not because-

''-Because you love me. Oh come on, Hermione, don't be in denial. It never helps anyone.''

Hermione ran her wandless hand through her hair and sighed. She looked down at her feet and said. ''I'm through playing, Tom. Give me back my wand.''

''Not until you come clean with what you're planning. Why do you want me dead?'' Tom waved his yew wand around nonchalantly.

She unrolled her sleeve and showed him the mark branding her forever. ''Because this is what the people infatuated with you have done to me.'

''So,'' Tom blinked at that and nonchalantly said. ''I won't go in that direction. Blood prejudice won't win this time if you're my wife. Hermione Riddle.'' Tom Marvolo Riddle – who had already decided Hermione Jean Granger belonged to him – rolled the name to test it out on his tongue. It tasted sweet, like black coffee. ''Has a unique ring to it, don't you agree?''

Hermione stood in front of him, unfazed. She outstretched her hand and said. ''Tom, I want my wand back.''

He looked at her as if she were dull and she saw anger flash in his eyes. Hermione remained firm. But Riddle wasn't. ''Listen,'' she spoke easily and twirled her locks because it helped her think and it somehow made these 1940s boys think she was irresistible, ''You want to talk of equals and yet you hold my wand and point your own at me. This is not an equal discussion. To me, this is not even a discussion.''

He threw her the wand. ''It's not like you can kill me with it.'' Riddle sneered.

PETRIFICUS TOTALLUS

Hermione waved her wand and Tom Riddle stood, his expression trapped with a look of pure outrage and bewilderment. She'd done it silently. After having exhausted him mentally and physically. She had strength only those who'd survived war had – no amount of genius could measure up to that.

''What do you think I wished for when the Room opened for me?'' Hermione whispered to Tom and observed him like one did frozen insects. ''I wished for your tomb. Look at this bland old classroom the Room provided me.'' Hermione gestured the classroom where they sparred. ''This is where you will die, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Before your birth as Lord Voldemort.''

His eyes, animalistic, wrathful glared at her. She caressed his cheek and cupped his chin gently. Her eyes ten times worse. Copper outlasting crimson.

''You were immortal. But I destroyed your trinkets, Tom.''

Fear flashed in his eyes, his form stuck and unresponsive.

Hermione Jean Granger levelled her vine wood wand at Tom Marvolo Riddle's neck and enunciated the words as if a valedictorian read their speech.

''Avada.''

She smiled.

''Kedavra.''

''I never loved you, Riddle.'' Hermione said to the stuck corpse, his eyes emotionless and lifeless staring at her blankly. ''Although, I did make you think that, didn't I?''

She kicked his beautiful corpse and whispered. ''I told you, I don't come unprepared, and you didn't listen. Should not have underestimated me, Tom.'' Hermione laughed and her shoulders shook.

''It's so easy to make people think things when you know they read your mind.'' Hermione shook her head, a smile on her lips bright and full of élan, ''You disappoint me, Tom.''

Hermione took his wand and snapped it in half, just in case.

''I thought you were smarter.''

Then she set him ablaze with fiendfyre.

**Author's Note:**

> this is so oooold


End file.
